News you might have missed: Michelle Obama documentary is out next week

Also this week, a rural school district in Illinois will soon have high-speed internet, Californians can get married via the internet, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper has an emotional special announcement.

Read on to see what else you might have missed this week in the news.

Netflix to release Michelle Obama documentary on May 6

Michelle Obama announced on Monday that Netflix will release a documentary about people she met after the release of her memoir, “Becoming.”

“During this difficult time, I hope you’ll find some inspiration and joy in this film,” Obama tweeted about the documentary.

Obama’s memoir sold 10 million copies in the first five months after it was released, becoming a global bestseller, and Obama sold out arenas during her book tour.

The documentary, directed by Nadia Hallgren, premieres on May 6.

Michigan invests $130 million in affordable child care

On Wednesday, Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state will establish a $130 million Child Care Relief Fund “to make child care more affordable” during and after the coronavirus crisis, according to a press release issued by the governor’s office.

“Child care providers have been critical partners in helping our state respond to COVID-19, and we are extremely grateful for their service,” Whitmer said. “Every child care provider and early educator is important in giving parents some peace of mind while they are delivering essential services to our state at this challenging time.”

The fund, $100 million of which comes through the CARES Act passed by Congress in March, and $30 million of which is contributed by the state, will provide grants to “[l]icensed child care centers, family group homes, tribal child care providers, provisional disaster relief child care centers, and subsidized license[d] exempt providers” on condition that they “commit to reducing their weekly rates for families by at least 10 percent, and provide care for children of essential workers regardless of where their parents or caregivers work.“

Ohio one step closer to having its first openly gay county sheriff

On Tuesday, Charmaine McGuffey won a primary to be the Democratic nominee for sheriff in Hamilton County, Ohio. She defeated her former boss, incumbent Jim Neil, a man she is suing after she alleged that he fired her because of her sexual orientation.

In 2015, McGuffey was named local and regional Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and the next year the Ohio state House of Representatives named her Public Citizen of the Year.

Neil said McGuffey was fired for creating a hostile work environment, but McGuffey denied the allegation, saying she was standing up to a toxic male culture, the Advocate reported. “I was told to sit down and be quiet,” McGuffey told LGBTQ Nation. “The fact I was a woman was an issue with some of the men in the upper echelon. The fact I was gay was an issue [too].”

The county Democratic Party backed McGuffey against the incumbent, who appeared at a rally for Donald Trump in 2016, later apologizing for doing so.

If she wins in November, McGuffey would be the first openly gay sheriff in the state. She is running against Republican Bruce Hoffbauer, a police lieutenant from Cincinnati.

Confederacy loses again as Marine Corps bans display of Confederate battle flag

The Marine Corps announced on April 20 that it has banned public display of the Confederate battle flag on its installations, the New York Times reported.

While he did not rule on the meaning of the flag as a symbol, often seen at Donald Trump’s rallies, Gen. David H. Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, wrote in a letter announcing the policy that the flag has the “power to inflame feelings of division. I cannot have that division inside our Corps.”

It is not clear whether the ban on displaying the flag applies to Marines when they are off-duty, the Times reported.

Illinois school district gets high-speed internet access

A local internet provider will help connect families to their school district in rural southeast Illinois, and an anonymous donor will provide a dozen hot spots to aid the effort, ProPublica reported on Tuesday.

Since schools have been shut down, teachers in the Trico school district have mailed manilla envelopes full of learning materials to 800 homes that lack internet access, computers, or both. A Chicago-area school district will donate 250 used laptops to Trico after the school year ends and its own computers are replaced.

Trico superintendent Larry Lovel expressed his gratitude for an earlier ProPublica article that brought attention to the lack of internet access in the area and the generosity that followed.

“I can’t say it enough,” he told ProPublica. “One article matters.”

California now allows marriage via videoconference

Following a growing trend across the country, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Thursday allowing residents of the state to get married via videoconference.

The order allows two adults who are both present in California to obtain a license and get married via videoconference so long as both people are able to appear during the conference and can present proper identification (for the license) and have one witness present (for the ceremony).

Newsom’s announcement comes after New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a similar executive order.

The California order will be in effect for the next 60 days.

‘I became a father’: CNN’s Anderson Cooper introduces his son to the world

On Thursday night, CNN’s Anderson Cooper ended his broadcast with a special announcement.

“It’s been a difficult time in all of our lives,” Cooper said. “It is, I think, especially important in these times of trouble to try to hold on to moments of joy and moments of happiness. Even as we mourn the loss of loved ones, we’re also blessed with new life and new love.”

“On Monday, I became a father. I’ve never actually said that before out loud, and it still kind of astonishes me,” the longtime anchor announced. He showed a photo of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper.

CNN's @AndersonCooper is a dad.

"On Monday I became a father. I've never said that out loud and it astonishes me," he said Thursday at the end of the #CNNTownHall.

Wyatt Morgan Cooper was born on Monday, weighing just over 7 pounds. https://t.co/JAlmnm23lZ pic.twitter.com/TuleKwvYpO

— CNN (@CNN) May 1, 2020

An emotional Cooper described his son as “sweet and soft and healthy,” adding, “I am beyond happy.”

Cooper also noted, “As a gay kid, I never thought it would be possible to have a child, and I am so grateful for all those who paved the way.”